There is no hiding that I was a major Sailor Moon fan from the original anime and it was probably my history with Sailor Moon that made me the anime fan I am today even if there was quite a gap between Sailor Moon and my venturing further into the anime world. What is probably slightly less known is that Sailor Moon (Serena) wasn’t really the appeal of the show for me only coming it at number 5 when I looked at my top 5 scouts (Tuesday’s Top 5: Sailor Scouts). Certainly the bumbling twin-tailed heroine has her moments and some of those are great (particularly in the later seasons) but season 1 sees her falling and crying and complaining far more than I really like in my main character.
No, my obsession with the show, other than the sparkly girl power and moon dust, came largely after the midway point where Jupiter literally came thundering into the show. Prior to her arrival, I’d enjoyed Ami to a degree but been disappointed with her submission to Rei but I found Rei and Serena’s bickering tolerable at best and if it wasn’t for the massive pre-teen crush I had on Tuxedo Mask I may have ceased to watch the show and then I may never have actually become an anime fan (that is almost a tragedy in and of itself).
And then we had Lita.
Lita, who even before knowing she was a Sailor Scout saved Serena from thugs and took on Zoisite bare-handed. Lita who had a sense of style about her. But she wasn’t the cool and untouchable beauty queen. She was ditsy and love sick with a huge heart who loved to cook for others and felt miserable when left alone. She was a dynamic and interesting character who could be tough when the occasion called for it but wasn’t ashamed of her deftness at her skills around the house. Lita was an eye-opening character to the teenage me and I absolutely loved her.
So here are 3 reasons why Sailor Jupiter is the best of the Sailor Scouts and the reason why I have at least 4 different miniature models of this scout around my house, a plush toy, key chain, and jigsaw puzzle (bought while last in Japan). That said, I am only discussing Lita as portrayed in the 90’s anime series in seasons 1 and 2. I am not discussing the manga or Crystal versions of the character.
Number 1: When the other scouts hesitate to take action, Lita knows that the direct approach is the best.
On more than one occasion Lita has been the push the scouts have needed to get into what will end up being a dangerous situation. When Serena and Darien were in the tower it was Lita who busted open the door. When the other scouts couldn’t bring themselves to fight Darien and couldn’t accept that he had been turned, Jupiter took him on one-on-one (unsuccessfully but it was still a rare and pretty cool display of actual combat without all the powers). Lita’s brash approach may not always win the day, but it so often spurred the others on and ultimately was the reason they managed to get through so many situations.
Number 2: Absolutely loyalty and absolute trust; you want Lita on your team.
When Rei and Ami go on strike, Lita is the one who runs to Serena’s rescue. At no point does Lita abandon Serena or even question her as leader. That doesn’t mean she is blind to Serena’s less desirable traits admitting that Serena is a crybaby and not very brave. But Lita remembers the girl who approached her at school without fear of her reputation and the girl who speaks honestly at all times (even if she is without tact). Lita isn’t someone who switches sides. From the moment she became a scout, she followed Serena and she held true to that through thick and thin.
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Number 3: Lita summons and commands lightning.
Sorry, does that need an explanation? Ami plays with bubbles, Rei admittedly is a very cool fire user but there are plenty of those to be found in anime, Mina has a chain of love hearts which looks cool and all, but none of those come close to being as awesome as Jupiter’s lightning. Okay, friendly fire is an issue on more than one occasion and having Jupiter’s power thrown back at them kind of sucks because it’s pretty intense, but the attack itself is beautiful to watch in action (even if it is one of the longest to get going given she usually says a prayer or some kind of summons to Jupiter before she gets moving). The payoff is worth it as this is no bug-zapper lightning attack. This is divine thunder and you do not want her aiming it at you.
Now, we could go on and list the absolutely divine boots the girl wears, the fantastic hair-style, her earrings, her short temper when losing at arcade games, and her general disdain for people who are cheats or unfair, but really I think I’ve made my case. Still, I’m always open for a great Sailor Moon discussion so feel free to tell me who your favourite scout is or your reasons for loving Sailor Jupiter.
Thank-you for reading 100 Word Anime.
Join the discussion in the comments.
Karandi James